The R Word
by zoebrenn
Summary: My take on the flowers Nell received...or allegedly sent to herself, and the implications of such a gesture.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so being in the UK, I've only just seen the episode with where Nell gets flowers (or gives them to herself depending on what you believe). Having actually seen the way the scenes played out, this is my take on it. Written especially for all the Nallen shippers out there, coz there just isn't enough about these two.**

_"So are you in a thing now?" Eric asked. Nell glanced at him. "Like uh, with another person, like a relationsh…" Nell cut Eric off sharply._

"_Don't say the R word. I don't have to be in a…" she trailed off._

"_In a R word" he finished for her._

"_To get flowers."_

"_No, no of course not. You could, I mean you could get flowers for a lot of other reasons."_

"_A lot of other reasons." She echoed. "Like if I was..."_

"_Like if you died." He offered._

"_There you go."_

"_Or if you have major surgery."_

"_There's another one."_

"_Have you had major surgery?" he asked._

"_I have not."_

"_And you are clearly not dead."_

"_Well." She drew out the word._

"_So that uh leaves the R word."_

"_Uh huh. I have to go talk to Hetty." _

Eric had no idea how much his question had truly affected her. For the first time she was actually having to put a name to what she was doing, what she was involved in. And that was much easier said than done. The first time it had happened, they had both been drunk…

It had been late on Friday evening and after a tense shoot-out in the Navy yard, the team had finally closed a case that had been looming over their heads for a week. It was Deeks who suggested they all hit the bar and let loose. No-one had disagreed and everyone except Hetty, who "had other plans", had made their way to a homely bar downtown with old fashioned booths, a couple of pool tables and a juke-box.

Deeks had shouted the first round of beer, quickly followed by Kensi who also brought tequila shots. Nell wasn't a big drinker but everyone was finally beginning to loosen up and she figured there wasn't any harm in a bit of a wild night. She had followed Kensi in licking the salt off her own wrist, knocking back the tequila and finishing it off with the lime. The guys had cheered and followed suit. As the drinks flowed, Nell became increasingly intoxicated, as did the others. She found herself challenging Kensi and Deeks to a game of pool even though she was useless at it, which led to Callen offering to partner her. She was seeing a different side of him that night and she liked it. He was playful and funny and for the first time since she had started at NCIS, he seemed to actually be paying attention to her. She had always had the impression that he tolerated her, perhaps found her a little irritating though she had no doubt that he knew she was valuable to the team. But now, he had his arm slung casually around her shoulder as they waited for Deeks to take his shot. When it was her turn, he leaned in and whispered a strategy to her, making her giggle.

It was after 3am when they had finally gotten tossed out the bar so it could close. Nell was so drunk she was barely standing and Callen wasn't doing much better. Sam had seemed the most sober and had flagged down several cabs. He pushed Kensi and Deeks into one and sent them on their way, knowing that Deeks was sober enough to get them to Kensi's place then on to his. Then he led a stumbling Nell to another cab, bringing Callen along a moment later.

"You live in the same direction." He told Callen when his partner looked confused at why they were about to share a cab.

"Right, right." Callen laughed as he slid into the seat beside Nell. Sam had leaned in and given their two home addresses to the cab driver before patting the roof and sending them off.

What had happened in the cab was a blur to Nell even now. All she could really remember was him kissing her, her kissing him back and then the pair of them stumbling through her front door and into her bedroom. Clothes and shoes had been torn off, landing in piles across the floor. She remembered the passion and the heat of his lips all over her body, the pure ecstasy of their encounter and how she had never been made love to that intensely in her life. It was like he was reading her soul and knew just where to touch her to make her scream.

It all hit her when she awoke the next morning feeling sick to the pit of her stomach, both from the hangover and the realisation that Special Agent G Callen was asleep next to her, butt naked under her cream silk sheets. She had slid out of the bed and quickly donned a pair of jeans and sweatshirt before hurrying to the bathroom to throw up. She hadn't heard him approaching until he was at the door and when she turned to look at him she could see he was dressed only in the dark blue jeans and the boots he had thrown onto the floor by her bed.

"You okay?" He greeted her with a deep gravelly voice that betrayed his hangover. She wiped her mouth and stood up, trying not to look at the toned chest she had been kissing only hours early, instead trying to focus on his face. Though knowing she had been kissing his lips as well meant looking at pretty much any part of the Senior Agent was difficult.

"I'll survive. About last night..." She started.

"I know, it's probably best that we…"

"Don't speak of it again." She finished. He had merely nodded and awkwardly picked up his shirt from the floor before pulling it on and heading for the door.

"I'll see you Monday Nell." He gave her a small wave as he made his way out, leaving Nell alone in her bathroom. She couldn't believe it had actually happened and knew it could absolutely, never, ever, happen again.

The second time it happened, they didn't have the luxury of blaming alcohol. She had been out to dinner with friends from college at a classy restaurant, picked by her friends to show off how far they had come, and they had headed to an upmarket wine bar afterwards. Dressed to the nines in a killer strapless black dress with a tight bodice and A line skirt, and heels which heightened her an extra couple of inches, she had been surprised to see Callen sitting at the bar. She really didn't have any idea why he was there or if he was with anyone but in the end that hadn't mattered. He had spotted her immediately and as she sat with her friends, she could see him watching her with a smirk on his face. After an hour she excused herself to go to the bathroom and had caught him rising from his seat as she passed by. Just before she pushed open the door to the ladies room she felt someone grab her wrist. Spinning around she saw Callen and a smile crossed her face as he pushed her against the wall.

"You're all dressed up Nell." He told her. "You look beautiful."

"You don't look so bad yourself." She responded, taking in how sharp he looked in his blue jeans, black shirt and black jacket. She knew they were entering a dangerous zone but she hadn't been able to get him out of her head since their first encounter, and apparently neither had he. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"Any of those guys special to you?" he asked. She merely shook her head in response and watched as he ran his tongue over his lips before leaning in and kissing her deeply, his hands placed on either side of her head against the wall. She could taste the wine on his lips and tongue but knew he wasn't drunk. She had seen him drunk and this was not it.

"My car is out back." He said suggestively once he had pulled back from her.

"I'll tell my friends I'm calling it a night." She had no idea what possessed her to go along with it, other than the absolute desire to be in his arms and never have him stop kissing her like he had just kissed her.

They had driven to her place in near silence, only looks being exchanged between them, and when they made it inside, there was none of the clumsy fumbling of the first time. This time was sensual and tender. He spent an eternity kissing her and touching every inch of her body with such gentleness Nell was in heaven. Once they had made love, Nell curled up in his arms with her head resting on his chest, her fingers traced over the scars from when he had been shot.

"What are we doing Nell?" he asked.

"I don't know." She told him as she kissed his chest. "But I think you started it." She grinned, lifting her head to look at him. He smiled back and began to gently stroke her hair.

"Do you think we need to…finish it?" he asked tentatively. Nell stiffened just a little then pushed herself up to look him in the eyes.

"Do you?" she asked back.

"I don't want to."

"Me neither."

"Then it is what it is." He said as he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"No definitions."

"No definitions." He agreed.

It wasn't like they were together all the time. They would go weeks without seeing each other in the biblical sense. But she noticed a change in Callen when he was around her day to day. He took to standing nearer to her in ops during briefings. When she was seated at a computer he would place one hand on the table beside her and the other on the back of her chair, leaning in closer than was necessary. He watched out for her, checked in that she was okay after a tough case, made sure she got home if she left the office late. She wondered if she was doing anything differently, if he noticed changes in her like she did in him.

Things definitely changed when he came to her door at 1am on a Saturday morning. He looked haggard, beaten up and defeated. Nell had been on vacation and wasn't aware of the case he had been working on but from the looks of him it hadn't gone well. She invited him in and offered him a beer. He didn't seem to want to talk about whatever had happened but she was fine with that. They simply curled up on the couch in each others' arms. It was like Callen just needed someone to hold, someone to comfort him, and Nell was glad he wanted that person to be her. He had stayed at her place right through the weekend. They had gone out for lunch, had take-out for dinner and spent a glorious Sunday morning in bed together.

It was the Monday morning after that when the flowers arrived at the office for her and she knew immediately who they were from. The small but colourful bunch of flowers had told her there was something more than just sex going on between them. Sam was the first to notice them and had made a comment about a secret admirer. With Callen standing right behind her Nell became nervous and moved the vase from one side of the desk to the other, subconsciously moving the flowers away from their giver. When Eric arrived a moment later and also commented on the flowers, the tone of Callen's voice became protective as he tried to divert attention away from the bouquet. But she knew that Eric wasn't going to let it go and that had led to the conversation which now had her thinking deeply about just where she and Callen were going.

Were they in a relationship and just hadn't acknowledged it? Did Callen think there was more to it than she did? Was she overthinking a kind gesture? Being in a relationship was not something she had planned, and certainly being in one with an agent she worked with was never on her agenda. All she knew was that the R word had been brought up and she knew eventually she and Callen would have to define what they were, one way or another.

**Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Reviews motivate me and my muse :) Zoe.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews for the first chapter. This story kind of took on a life of its own after I started the first chapter, and this second chapoter practically wrote itself. Funny how that happens sometimes. Anyway, enjoy the Nallenness of it all - there will be a little more to come after this chapter. **

For the first time in his life, Special Agent G Callen had absolutely no idea what he was doing or where he was going. He did know why it had happened the first time. He had let himself get drunk. But in doing so he had let down the walls he had so carefully built up. He had let her in.

Callen had deliberately kept his distance from the young analyst since she started. He had been immediately drawn to her. She was smarter than any woman he had met before, she told the truth, never shying away from the facts, but she was young and he was convinced he was far too jaded and cynical for someone so fresh and innocent, not to mention the complications becoming involved with a co-worker would bring. So the walls had gone up and he did a good job of keeping her out and his feelings in check, until that night at the bar. He was already pretty drunk when Nell confidently challenged Deeks to a game of pool and he had immediately offered to partner her. As the beer flowed and the shots were downed, he had relaxed even more and draped his arm over Nell's shoulder. She hadn't pulled away from him, not even when he had leaned in and whispered that all she needed to do to win the game was distract Deeks by popping open a few of the buttons on her shirt. She had actually laughed, and as they knocked back more shots of tequila, she returned his affections, touching his arm and leaning into him as they waited their turn at the pool table.

The first time they made love they were both so drunk he was surprised either of them remembered anything about how they ended up in that situation. He was pretty sure Nell didn't remember as much as he did. It was he who had made the first move in the cab as they were going home. He had reached over and brushed the hair from her face. He had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. He had gently kissed her once, then seeing she wasn't pulling away he had kissed her again, deeper and with more passion. Helet his fingers get tangled in her hair as she clawed at his shirt and gasped when he moved to kiss her neck. The cabbie definitely got a show on that ride.

He remembered almost every moment of their first night together, from stumbling through the door, clothes flying in every direction, him exploring every inch of her perfect body and giving them both a night of absolute pleasure. He remembered everything and every feeling he had, right through to waking up and then hearing her throwing up in the bathroom. When he had first woken and found her gone from the bed, he wondered if she was regretting their night together and was hiding from him, ashamed to face him after what they had done. But when he heard her being sick he worried that she had been so drunk she wouldn't actually remember what had happened or would blame him for taking advantage of her. Pulling on his jeans and boots, he had gone through to the bathroom and found her crouched on the floor in jeans and sweatshirt, wiping her mouth. Even as they were agreeing not to talk about what had happened the night before, he could see her staring at him with a look in her eyes that suggested that maybe this wasn't just a drunken fling for her after all. But in the cold light of morning, he knew pursuing anything further would probably end in one or both of them getting hurt so he had located his shirt and made a quick exit.

But in the weeks following that first encounter, Callen found it almost impossible to keep his mind off Nell. Whenever he saw her he pictured her beneath him, he saw her perfect lips kissing him, his fingers trailing over her pale skin. Despite what they had agreed in her bathroom the morning after, Callen knew he couldn't just give her up. So it was he who instigated their second encounter. He had missed her. He saw her every day but he desperately missed being close to her, holding her, kissing her. She was like a drug to him and needed another fix. After overhearing her plans to meet up with college friends at the weekend, he knew he needed a plan. Using not so legitimate methods, he found out where she was going and had tailed her from the restaurant. When she entered the wine bar with her friends, he had slipped in behind, circled around and seated himself at the bar. By the time she got settled at a table and spotted him, it looked like he had been in there for a while. Once he knew she had seen him he made a point of looking over at her, drawing her attention. He sipped slowly on a glass of wine, not wanting to be drunk this time – he had to be sure the feelings he had been having were real and not something created out of a drunken stupor.

He knew she was teasing him when it took her an hour to excuse herself from her friends. When he saw her heading towards the bathroom he had followed her, knowing this was his moment. Coming up behind her, he had grabbed her arm, whispered to her then captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply and passionately to let her know just what he wanted. Though she accepted without hesitation, he was the one who had suggested leaving together. He knew at that time that whatever was going to happen was all on him. Nell seemed to be with him all the way but he had started it and she let him know it when they were lying in bed wrapped up in each others arms, hours later.

Over a couple of months they had many more encounters, each ending up in Nell's bedroom. Sometimes it was raw, hot, passion and lust. Sometimes it was soft and tender, even romantic. But it was always just sex. There were no dinners, no dates. Just sex.

The game changer, at least for Callen, was that weekend, the weekend after his operation had ended badly with several injured agents. He had turned up at her door at 1am without warning and looking battered, bruised and defeated. Nell had been content to just sit with him. They had curled up on her couch and she had rested her head on his chest while she softly stroked the fabric of his shirt. He didn't want to talk and he had no expectations. She had sensed that and didn't ask anything of him. They had spent that night in the same bed and tangled up in each other but fully clothed with nothing more than the odd gentle kiss. He had taken her out for lunch he next day and when she suggested take-out at her place for dinner he was more than happy to oblige. After dinner and a few drinks, he had led her to the bedroom where they stayed until Sunday lunchtime, content and comfortable in each others embrace.

Nell had been such a comfort to him that weekend that he wanted to show her how much he appreciated it. He knew she liked flowers so he had sent a small bouquet to her at work, knowing it would bring a smile to her face. However he hadn't expected quite the reaction it stirred in those around them. When Sam saw the flowers and commented about Nell having a secret admirer, Callen found it difficult not to react. But when Eric noticed them too he could see Nell getting uncomfortable and with just the utterance of his name, Callen had scolded Eric into getting back on track with the information he was supposed to be giving them. He also knew Eric wouldn't let it go quite so easily given the crush he knew the technical operator had on Nell, and he was worried for her – how she would explain the flowers, what reason she would give for receiving them.

In a new development, Nell turned up at his house that night. So far they had kept their encounters to the weekends and it had always been at her place. But there she was, standing on his doorstep. He could tell immediately that she wanted to talk. Whenever she had something serious on her mind she went quiet, as if organising her thoughts. And as she told him about her conversations with Eric and how she had explained the flowers, Callen felt bad. His actions had caused her to lie to a friend but clearly also made her think about what the pair of them were doing. They had had a couple of months of no strings fun but he got the sense as she walked from the entrance hall into his lounge that when she left there would be no more 'no strings'.

"You asked me a while back what we were doing." Nell began.

"I did." Callen nodded.

"And we said 'no definitions'."

"We did."

"Well, I need to know and I need a definition."

Callen had to admit that he wasn't actually surprised. He never really saw Nell as the type to have flings. But now the pressure was on to define what they were, if they even were something at all. Callen had a decision to make.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the reviews! Here's another chapter for your trouble. Zoe.**

Nell stood facing Callen in the middle of his sparse lounge. It was only in that moment that she realised she had never actually been there before. She doubted many people had. Callen seemed to keep certain parts of his life private. In the dimly lit room there was a solitary chair, a small table piled high with a chess set, books, newspapers and a lamp perched precariously on the edge. On top of the fireplace there was only a carved box and she wondered what it was he kept in there. His place couldn't be more different to hers. She had more furniture than she could ever use, family photos everywhere and each available space was filled with mementos, souvenirs from travels and gifts from family and friends.

"Nell?" Callen's voice brought her back to the moment and she looked up at him, meeting his intense gaze. He was standing a couple of feet away from her, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"What are we doing?" she asked. "Is this just sex to you? Are we just 'friends with benefits?" She could see Callen's body stiffen at her words. "I mean, after last weekend and the flowers, I need to know where we stand." Eric had given her a lot to think about and the more she had thought about it, she realised she was scared. Scared of what would happen if he rejected her, if they tried and failed, if things went south.

Callen was staring at Nell. He was a little taken aback at the directness of her questions and realised he couldn't ever underestimate this woman. She may be petite and young but she was confident.

"Nell, I don't how to answer that." He began. "I mean, yes, so far it's all been about sex, amazing sex." He acknowledged. "But last weekend, something changed for me." He watched her face relax and a small smile tug at the corner of her lips.

"But there are a few things you really need to know about me Nell." He stated. "I'm bad at relationships, I always have been. The two most meaningful relationships I ever had were built on lies." He told her, referring to his relationship with Kristin Donnelly when he was undercover as Jason Tedrow, and his 'marriage' to Tracey Keller when he worked with the CIA.

"I've lived my life alone, no family, few friends. It works for me, but it doesn't work for a relationship. And I swore never to get involved with someone I worked with again." He saw the slight smile on Nell's face disappear to be replaced with a look he could only describe as disappointment.

"Okay, you don't need to say anymore, I understand." Nell said quickly. Her voice was heavy, almost defeatist, and she backed away from him a little.

"Wait, Nell." He closed the distance between them and reached out and caught her arm. "I'm not explaining myself very well am I?"

"No you're not." She shook her head. Callen was usually so sure of himself. When he spoke he was concise and while Nell wasn't going to pretend she knew him well because she really didn't know him at all, it seemed out of character for him to be so lost for the right words.

"Nell, what I'm saying is…" he paused and ran his tongue over his dry lips. "I like you. This may have started as just sex but after spending last weekend with you, I think there might be something more between us and I'm not ready to give up on that right now. But I need you to know that I have no idea what I'm doing, this is all new for me."

"It's new for me too Callen." Nell told him reassuringly. She paused and sucked in a deep breath. "The last _relationship_ I had was in college and it was hardly what you would call serious, you could hardly even call it a relationship."

"Hang on." Callen shook his head. "Maybe we're getting a step ahead of ourselves. Why do we have to leap straight to relationship status? Don't people normally date first?"

"Are you suggesting that we _date_ each other?" Nell asked with little laugh in her voice and a smile curling at her lips. If she were honest, the thought of 'dating' Callen almost sounded ridiculous. They seemed to have moved past the point of doing that given that they were already sleeping together on a fairly regular basis.

"Why not?" Callen reached out and took each of her hands in his. "We get to know each other properly, we find out how we really feel, go slow so we don't screw things up." He looked at her with such innocence in that moment, that she realised he was just as scared of messing things up as she was. The consequences of things ending badly weighed heavily on both their minds given the nature of their work and how hard it could be to work so closely together.

"But we don't tell anyone right?" she asked.

"You don't want the others to know?" Callen asked back.

"I'm just not sure it would be a good idea, at least not right away. I mean it's bound to have implications for the team and…" she trailed off, not wanting to speak the words.

"And maybe Hetty wouldn't approve and make one of us leave?" Callen had thought the same thing.

"We both know it would be me Callen." She shook her head. "I'm just the intelligence analyst, not the Senior Agent in Charge." Callen could hear the doubt in her voice and he raised a hand to cup her cheek.

"Nell, you are just as important to the team as I am." He told her. "Trust me, Hetty wouldn't have kept you around if she didn't value everything you brought. Do you know how many analysts came and went through here before you?" he smiled.

"I know I'm good at my job." She replied. "I just know that if push came to shove, the team needs you more and that's okay. I'd just rather not risk the consequences until we know that there's something there worth risking."

"Okay." Callen agreed. He wasn't going to admit it to Nell but the thought of going to Hetty and telling her he was dating Nell scared him and though Hetty had often talked of the benefit of finding someone to settle down with he wasn't so sure she would be happy to learn that person might be a woman fifteen years younger than him and someone he worked with.

"We keep this between ourselves." Callen agreed. "At least for now."

"So hypothetically, if flowers appear on my desk again and Eric asked why, I tell him I'm dating someone."

"And hypothetically, if Sam asks why I can't go to the game on Saturday, I tell him _I'm_ dating someone." Callen smiled.

Knowing that she had an answer for what she and Callen were doing, that it wasn't just sex and there was a chance it could develop into something real, Nell was satisfied. But Callen had said they would take it slow and there was one part of their 'thing' she definitely didn't want to slow down. As she stared into his bright blue eyes she felt herself getting lost in them, they were quickly becoming her kryptonite.

"So" she said, drawing the word out. "You said we take this slow. How slow is slow?" she asked coyly as she placed her hands on his chest, playing with one of the buttons of his shirt. "I mean, we haven't even been on a first date and you've already seen me naked, several times."

"Easy tiger." He laughed and took her hands in his again, knowing exactly what she wanted. "It's a school night."

"Well I suppose I should go home then." She teased as she pulled away from him and started heading towards the door.

"I didn't say that." He called after her and watched as she stopped, turned and grinned at him.

An hour later and Nell was asleep in Callen's arms with her head nestled comfortably on his shoulder. Callen's fingers stroked up and down her bare arm and he sighed with contentment. He and Nell may not have had their first date yet, but that didn't mean they should give up doing what they were clearly so good at together.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the positive reviews on this story. Sorry it's taken me a while to update - I had a little writers block on this chapter but I love the way it has finally turned out. Enjoy! Zoe.**

Nell couldn't remember a time when she had been more nervous. Even on her first day at NCIS she hadn't had butterflies like she did now. And what annoyed her was she didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't spent any time alone with Callen. In fact, she'd spent an awful lot of time alone with Callen in the last month or so, but aside from that one weekend and their talk at the start of the week, they generally hadn't talked much since that first night together. They were usually busy doing _other_ things.

Standing in her bathrobe in front of her closet, Nell had already rejected three outfits and with only half an hour until Callen was going to show up at her door to take her to dinner on their first date, she had no idea what she was going to wear. He had told her they were going somewhere nice and she should go wild and get dressed up, but everything she looked at seemed wrong for the occasion; it was too casual, too young or too frumpy. Callen had only ever seen her in her day to day clothes, her pyjamas and her birthday suit. She wanted wear something that would show him she wasn't just a geek, but she could be sexy too. Just as she was about to give up and settle for a fall back black dress, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a dress she had forgotten she even had. She had worn it to a family wedding a year before and had shoved it at the back of the closet, never having another occasion to wear it since – a side effect of her busy schedule and the fact that she didn't run in circles where attending balls and events was a regular occurrence. It was one of the reasons she envied Kensi Blye. The agent often got to dress up in stunning outfits as part of operations and though they would all deny it, the guys couldn't help but stare at her.

Pulling the newly discovered dress out, Nell held it up and gave it the once over to make sure it was in a fit state to be worn. The dry cleaner's tag still clipped on suggested it would be fine. Shimmering a deep emerald green colour, the dress had spaghetti straps, a boned bodice and a skirt lined with black tool which gave it volume. It was perfect for a first date with a suave and handsome man at a classy restaurant. Suddenly remembering she had matching shoes, Nell tossed the dress onto the bed and got on her knees to search for them amongst the boxes and bags on the floor.

Callen stood outside Nell's door for several minutes before he worked up the courage to knock. He hadn't taken a woman on a date in a _long _time and he was nervous. He hoped he wasn't overdoing things with the restaurant he was taking Nell to. He really didn't know a lot about her and if it was the kind of place she would like. Everything he did know was from what she said and did at work and the brief conversations they had had during their encounters. He wanted this date to be special because he felt Nell was someone special so he had made reservations at Café La Boheme. He chose that particular restaurant firstly because it was one restaurant he had never been to undercover or as part of an operation and he wanted to do everything possible to keep this date separate from his work life, but also because it was supposed to be one of the best restaurants in town with a romantic atmosphere. If he and Nell were going to do this, he felt they should start of right.

But as he stood outside Nell's door, shifting awkwardly, Callen had to admit that it wasn't just nerves he had. He was worried too - worried that when he and Nell actually started to spend time together they would discover that they had nothing in common and the feelings they appeared to have were nothing more than lust. Or worse still, only one of them would realise that and the other would be left hurt by the rejection. Glancing down at his outfit, Callen smoothed his black shirt down and adjusted the cuffs of his black dinner jacket, a last minute adjustment before taking the next step. After sucking in a deep breath, he finally lifted his hand, made a fist, and knocked three times on the door.

Nell jumped when she heard the knock at the door. It was bang on seven o'clock and she knew Callen would be on time but his arrival still took her by surprise. Swiftly rising to her feet from the arm of the couch where she had been perched, she grabbed her clutch from the table and walked down the hall to answer the door. She took a deep breath as she took the chain off, knowing this was a significant moment for both of them. As she pulled the door open, she watched Callen's freshly shaven face face light up as he looked her up and down, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the light from her hall.

Nell took a moment to take in his look. Dressed head to toe in black, Callen not only looked good, he looked sexy and it took her breath away. She still couldn't quite believe that this man was truly interested in her.

"Nell, you look beautiful." Callen told her.

"Thanks." She replied shyly. She definitely wasn't used to the word beautiful being used to describe her. She usually got 'cute' or 'adorable'.

"You ready?" Callen asked as he held her gaze. His question was really two-fold. Was she ready to leave for their date, and was she also ready for what that date might lead to.

Twenty minutes later Callen and Nell arrived at Café La Boheme. He walked confidently with Nell's arm through his. Turning to look at her, he smiled when he saw the wide-eyes look on her face. She was taking in the five grand chandeliers suspended from the wooden planked ceiling, the sunken –level dining space below and the softly illuminated ruby red walls punctuated by two huge open fireplaces. It was warm, welcoming and definitely romantic.

"You like it?" he leaned down and whispered as a hostess escorted them to their table in one of the balcony alcoves which had a very intimate feel created by lush red curtains down the sides of each alcove. Nell merely nodded in response, a look of wonder stuck on her face.

It wasn't long before a bottle of wine arrived along with their appetisers. The cosy atmosphere allowed Callen and Nell to get comfortable with each other and as they started their meal, Nell felt things were going to go very well. And despite his reservations about how much they would actually have in common, Callen found conversation flowed easily. As they waited for their main courses to arrive, Callen reached across the table and took Nell's hand in his, gently caressing soft skin with his thumb.

"I'm glad we're doing this." He told her.

"Me too." Nell nodded.

Suddenly Callen felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. With a glance at Nell and a whispered apology, he pulled it out and took a quick look at the caller ID to see if he could ignore it.

"It's Hetty." He said with surprise.

"Do you think she knows?" Nell asked as she nervously looked around her. She wasn't ready for anyone to find out about her and Callen, least of all her boss.

"Nah." Callen shook his head but at the back of his mind he was wondering the same thing. "I'd better take this."

As Callen listened to Hetty, Nell watched his face fall and she knew before he hung up that their date was over. She couldn't help but feel extreme disappointment and she drew her hand back from his before folding the napkin on her lap before placing it on the table in front of her.

"I'm sorry Nell." Callen said as he slipped his cell back into his jacket pocket.

"What's going on?" Nell asked.

"A lead came in on Petrov. Hetty 's calling everyone in." he sighed heavily. "Looks like our date is getting cut short."

"I understand." Nell nodded. She really did. The team had been trying to capture Michael Petrov for weeks but the trail had gone cold. He posed a significant risk to the security of naval operations and if a lead had come in as to his whereabouts, they needed to jump on it.

"I guess we…" Callen was cut off when Nell's purse began to ring. They both looked at it.

"Hetty." They said in unison with a laugh. Nell quickly pulled her cell out and answered, listening for a few moments as Hetty told Nell exactly what she had told Callen just a minute ago.

"I don't have my car, I'm uh, on a date right now." Nell told her when Hetty asked how quickly she could get to the office. Callen smirked at the secrecy of their evening. "Sure, I guess that would work." Nell nodded and hung up, lifting her head to meet Callen's gaze.

"She's going to call you, ask you to pick me up from my date on your way in." Nell laughed.

Callen and Nell were half way to the office when Nell was struck with a thought. She reached over and grasped Callen's forearm.

"Callen, you do realise that if we both turn up at the office dressed like we are, someone is going to figure it out. I mean, Hetty knows I was on a date but if you turn up with me dressed like that, it's going to raise questions."

"You're right." Callen replied. He suddenly pulled the car over into a parking spot on the street, got out and went to the trunk. Nell watched him in the rear view mirror as he grabbed a black hold-all and brought it back to the car. After tossing the bag into the back seat, Callen climbed back there himself.

"What are you doing?" Nell asked, twisting in her seat in time to watch him taking his shirt off. She had to bite her lip to stop herself making a comment about being naked in the back seat – it really wasn't the moment for it.

"I'm changing." He told her, stating the obvious.

When Callen and Nell arrived at the office fifteen minutes later, Callen was dressed in his usual gear – blue jeans, dark blue sweater and his black biker jacket. It was only Nell who was all dressed up with no place to go. She ignored the stares from the weekend support staff as she followed Callen up the stairs to the ops room. But she wasn't quite ready for the stares she got when she walked in there and came face to face with Eric, Kensi, Deeks, Sam and Hetty. Feeling exposed in her dress, she wrapped her arms around herself and quickly found a seat as their eyes followed her.

"Looking good Nell, must have been some date." Sam smiled.

"Yeah, who'd you get all dressed up for? In that getup you must have been somewhere _nice_." Deeks grinned.

"Guys, leave her alone." Kensi defended Nell. She could sense the younger woman was feeling embarrassed with everyone staring at her and having been the only woman in the team for a long time she knew how it felt to be teased by the boys.

"You do look good Nell, really good, I mean that dress…" Eric stuttered.

"Eric." Callen interrupted him, wanting to spare Nell from the attention she was obviously uncomfortable with. "Petrov." He added, getting the young man back on track.

"Uh, right, this video was received an hour ago. It was filmed in 'Stereo', that new nightclub downtown." Eric proceeded to show the team the video which clearly showed Petrov lapping up service in the VIP section. "The video was filmed last week and the source who sent it, who I'm informed is very reliable, says he's going to be there again tonight." Eric explained.

"I guess we're going clubbing." Callen resigned.

"I'll get wardrobe started." Hetty nodded and with her hands clasped behind her back, she silently exited the room.

Callen chanced a glance at Nell, who was busy looking up information on the nightclub. He was amazed at how easily she could slip into work mode. She really hadn't been in the job that long but she seemed to have a natural affinity for the type of work they did. Less than an hour ago the pair of them had been on a romantic first date and now they were hunting a wanted man. Nell didn't seem phased by the sudden change in pace.

"Awesome, a night on the town." Deeks clapped his hands together and flashed a grin at Kensi. She merely rolled her eyes and signalled for Eric to go with them.

"We'll meet you downstairs in the gadget room for our equipment." She told Callen and Sam as she grabbed Deeks' arm and made her way to the stairs with Eric trailing behind them.

"Sam, why don't you head down, I need Nell to check something out for me." Callen nodded at his partner. Nell glanced over at Sam, wondering if he would find something suspicious about Callen hanging back with Nell but the older man simply nodded and headed out. When the coast was clear, Callen took Nell's hand and urged her to stand up.

"I'm sorry we had to end our date early." He told her. "When this is all done, I'll make it up to you."

"I'll hold you to that." Nell grinned. Callen squeezed her hand and turned towards the door but his arm was jerked back as Nell held onto his hand tightly. "Be careful." She whispered, her eyes and face becoming solemn.

"Always." Callen nodded.

For a man they had been unable to trace for weeks, Michael Petrov proved surprisingly easy to capture once they located him. Playing the seductive temptress, Kensi had lured Petrov to the back of the club and a camera black spot where Callen and Sam were waiting. They easily captured him and dragged him out back where Deeks was waiting with the car. After interrogating him at the boatshed for several hours and obtaining the information they needed to ensure naval operations were not going to be compromised, they headed back to the office.

It was after 3am when the team arrived back. As they made their way to their desks, Callen noticed Nell curled up in a ball on the couch, her head resting on the arm of the couch and her eyes closed tight. Her tablet computer was still clutched tightly in her hands. The others followed his line of sight and spotted her too.

"Should we wake her up?" Kensi whispered. "I mean, we can't let her spend the night here."

"Straws?" Deeks asked, looking round each of the team.

"Are you afraid of her or something?" Callen asked with a snort as he walked towards the couch. Crouching down in front of Nell, Callen gently shook her arm and whispered her name. She jerked, blinked her eyes a few times then woke with a start, staring at Callen for a moment before realising the others were just a few feet away watching her.

"You're back." She said as placed her tablet beside her and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake up a little.

"And you're still here." Sam said. "I thought you would have gone home already." Nell stretched her arms before answering.

"I needed a ride and Eric came on his bike." she explained.

"Right, right. You were on your big date." Deeks said. "Now who was that with?" he asked cheekily. Nell just rolled her eyes and got to her feet, rubbing her arms as she felt a slight chill.

"I'm headed your way Nell. I'll give you a ride." Callen told her. "I'll see you guys Monday." He nodded to the rest of the team and fell into step with Nell as they headed outside.

The ride to Nell's place was quiet. She was exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open let alone make conversation. When Callen pulled up to her building, she moved slowly and by the time she had taken her seatbelt off Callen was already at the passenger door, opening it up for her. Extending his hand, he helped her out and with an arm draped over her shoulders, he walked her up the path and into her apartment block.

"Are you coming in?" Nell asked as they stood outside her apartment door.

"I probably shouldn't." Callen smiled. "We're both exhausted and should get some sleep." He was noting her slightly bloodshot and hooded eyes.

"That's all I had in mind." Nell told him as she unlocked her door, took his hand and led him inside.

**Reviews always appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I know it's been an eternity since I posted for this story - writers block is a bitch! Anyway, here's the final installment and I will have new stories soon. Thanks for all your time reading and reviewing this story, I really appreciate the support! Zoe.**

It had been three weeks and four days since G Callen had seized the day and taken Nell out on a real date. But a full three weeks and four days later and they were still to actually finish their first date. While disappointed that they were interrupted by work, Callen and Nell fully accepted that the nature of their job meant they didn't work a 9-5 like a lot of people, and being called in on the weekend was not unusual or something either of them complained about. What Callen complained about, albeit to himself, was that in the three weeks and four days since that night, not only had they not been able to keep a date, they hadn't spent a single night together or had so much as a clandestine kiss. Something always came up which would force them to cancel the movie they were going to see, the dinner they were going to have and even prevent them from just being together. Callen felt like the Powers That Be were conspiring against him, that someone somewhere didn't want him to be happy.

xxx

It had been three weeks and four days since Nell had pushed every doubt out of her mind and gone on an actual date with G Callen. But all that time later and she was still waiting for the date to finish. Having been interrupted by a hot lead on a case, they had to abandon the romantic dinner Callen had arranged and what may have happened afterwards. Nell was disappointed but she knew what she was signing up for when she chose NCIS over all the other offers she was made when she graduated college. But she hadn't expected her work to so radically alter her private life. She and Callen had made numerous plans after that first date but each time something came up and they were forced to cancel. And thanks to the only rule they applied to their new situation, even a stolen kiss in the office was out of the question. They had agreed to the 'not at the office' rule to protect themselves and whatever it was they were embarking on, but three weeks and four days later Nell was frustrated in more ways than one.

xxx

It was Friday night and Callen was watching the clock on his laptop with nervous anticipation. There were four minutes and thirty six seconds left before he could leave for the weekend. Just a couple of hours ago he had been with the team solving the murder of a Navy Lieutenant and with the associated paperwork complete, he and Nell would be free and clear to go to dinner as planned. Callen tapped his pen on the desk, watching as the seconds ticked by. He glanced anxiously around him, looking for Hetty approaching with something that would once again interrupt his plans. Finally the clock ticked over to 6pm. Callen shot out of his seat, grabbed his bag and with barely an acknowledgement to the rest of the team, he headed for the door. Nothing was going to stop him from taking Nell to dinner that night.

Callen had only gone a few steps when the earth beneath his feet began to shudder. He glanced around him and saw the overhead lights swinging and the partitions around the team's desk area sway back and forth.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." He grunted as he lost his footing and fell against the stone wall under the arch as the ground wrenched underfoot.

Callen had experienced many quakes in his time in Los Angeles, but this one was big. Everything in the office began to move. Desks shifted from side to side, the lockers tipped over and the partitions finally snapped from their fixings and toppled over. Callen braced himself against the wall, waiting for the quake to cease. Suddenly there were some bright flashes and all the lights in the office went off, a darkness taking over.

"Seriously! Do you _not _want me to be happy?" he shouted to the universe.

xxx

In the basement of the office, at the back of the archives room Nell Jones was halfway back down the ladder after storing several old case files when she felt the tremor. As the shelves around her began to shake violently, she hurried down to the ground. Making her way down the aisle, she dodged falling boxes as she tried to get to the door, a small part of her worried that the shelves themselves were going to topple over and crush her. She had felt one or two small quakes since she came to LA but this was much stronger than anything before. All she could think of was the advice she had been given when she told her parents she was moving to LA. _Stand in a doorway or get under a table._ There were no tables so she knew she had to get to the doorway.

As Nell drew closer to the door the quake seemed to subside slightly. She reached for the handle and wrapped her hand around it but just before she could open the door, the lighting cut out and she heard a worrying click in the locking mechanism. She pulled on the handle trying to yank the door open but it was no use. Trying to still the beating of her racing heart Nell assessed the situation. Clearly the building had lost power and until it was restored, she was going to be stuck in the archives room going nowhere, least of all on her date with Callen.

"Really?" she said to the heavens.

xxx

Power to the whole OSP building was out and the office was in near darkness. Only a small amount of light from the setting sun filtered through the dirty windows but it was enough for everyone to see the mess around them.

"G?" Sam looked around for his partner.

"I'm good." Callen sighed heavily as he made his way the few feet back to his team. He watched as Kensi and Deeks crawled out from under her desk, where Deeks had pushed her when the quake hit.

"Kensi? Deeks?" Sam asked.

"Good." They replied in unison as they stood up and looked around.

"Hetty?" Sam asked finally.

"I'm quite all right Mr Hanna." Hetty replied as she walked over to the team.

"Those survival kits aren't looking so ridiculous now, are they?" Kensi teased Deeks.

"Guys!" Eric came bounding down the stairs. "How cool was that!"

"Cool?" Callen glared at him. "_That_ was not cool. _That_ has just ruined…" Callen caught himself before he revealed more that he wanted to. "Never mind. "

"Wait, where's Nell?" Eric asked as he looked around.

"She isn't with you?" Callen asked, suddenly a little worried.

"She went down to the archives about twenty minutes ago to store some file boxes before she went home." Eric explained. Callen immediately pulled out his cell and tried her number. It rang for about twenty seconds before a breathless voice answered.

"Nell? Are you alright?" Callen asked, mindful of his audience.

"I'm fine, but I'm trapped inside the archives room." She told him. "When the electricity cut out, the secure door locked and I'm stuck inside." She explained.

"Alright, hang in there, we'll get you out soon." Callen hung up and turned to Hetty.

"Nell's stuck in the archives." He explained with a heavy heart, knowing their date was cancelled. It didn't really matter how quickly they got Nell out, sorting out the mess in the office would keep them all busy for the rest of the night.

"Alright. Mr Beale, perhaps you can see about restoring power." Hetty instructed. "Mr Callen, Mr Hanna, go down to archives and see if you can do anything to get Ms Jones out. Mr Deeks, Ms Blye, do something about….this" she gestured to the mess around them.

"Come on Sam." Callen urged his partner who threw him a curious look before following him.

xxx

Outside the archives room, Callen banged on the door.

"Nell?" he called loudly.

"I'm here." She replied. She had never been so grateful to hear his voice.

"You okay?" Callen leaned in towards the door.

"I'm fine. Just get me out, please."

"Eric's working on it." Callen told her. "Maybe some brute force?" he looked at Sam.

"Seriously? You want to try and break down the door?" Callen just shrugged, took a step back and kicked at the door. It didn't budge. Sam threw him an 'I told you so' look before giving it a go himself, this time using his shoulder but suffering the same result. A solid steel door with a triple electronic lock was not just going to pop open.

"Well, clearly that isn't going to work." Callen sighed heavily and planted his hands on his waist.

"I'll go see what Eric needs to get power up." Sam said.

"I guess I'll keep Nell company." Callen said, trying to sound nonchalant. He watched until Sam had left the area before he spoke again.

"It seems our plans have been thwarted again." Callen sighed as he leaned against the wall.

"You can say that again." Nell sighed from the other side of the door as she slid down to make herself comfortable on the floor. "This whole dating this Callen, it isn't really working out for us is it?" She said, sounding defeated.

"Don't say that Nell, we've barely given it a shot." Callen replied.

"How many dates have we cancelled?" she asked.

"I don't know." He lied.

"You do."

"Okay, so it's been seven."

"Seven dates Callen. Seven times we've tried to make plans and seven times we've had them interrupted by our work." Callen wished he could see her face so he could work out exactly what was going through her head, because from the sound of her voice she was rethinking getting involved with him.

"Nell, are you giving up on…us?" he asked.

"I'm just saying that when we agreed to give dating a shot instead of jumping straight into…the R word, I don't think we really thought about how hard it would be."

"Nell."

"If we can't even get out on a date, what does that say?" Nell waited for his response but there was none. "Callen?"

"I don't want to give up on us Nell." He told her. "I won't give up on us."

"I never said I did either."

"It sounded like you did."

"I guess I'm not explaining this very well." She sighed.

"What is it you're trying to say Nell?"

"I'm saying…We stop trying to date and just…just be together."

"In a relationship?" he wanted clarification.

"Yes, in a…relationship." She was beaming a smile on her side of the door, now that she had spoken what was on her mind.

"And we tell everyone?" Callen raised an eyebrow at the thought.

"I don't want to have to sneak around. If we're doing this, we do it right." She told him.

"You know, I wish this door wasn't in the way." Callen laughed.

It was as if the universe were just waiting for them to come to their senses and realise they needed to simply be together because the moment Callen spoke, the lights flickered on and the electronic door lock lit up. Callen leapt to his feet and heard Nell scrambling up on the other side. With just a momentary hesitation, Callen pulled down on the handle and pushed the door open. Nell stood on the other side, her hands nervously clasped in front of her as she rocked on her heels.

"Hey."

"Hey." She replied.

xxx

When the power came back on, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Eric and Hetty headed down to the archives room to check if everything was alright with Nell. When they walked down the hall they could see the door was now wide open and Callen was no longer waiting outside. But what they saw when they entered the room shocked them; Callen and Nell were locked in a tight embrace, their arms wrapped around each other as they kissed passionately.

"What the…" Deeks looked confused. "Did you? Did anyone?" he looked to the team to see if they knew what was going on. "I mean I know I'm glad to be alive after that quake but really…kissing Callen?"

"They look so cute together, don't they?" Kensi grinned at Deeks.

Callen and Nell broke apart, suddenly realising they weren't alone. Nell held onto Callen's arm and stood behind him a little, embarrassed at being caught out.

"Huh, so this explains the flowers." Eric nodded.

"Do you two have something to tell us?" Hetty asked.

"Actually, we do." Callen smiled. "Nell and I are together."

"Together, as in, you're a couple?" Deeks asked.

"Yes." Nell replied. "We're…in a relationship."


End file.
